Fast vs. Slow Thinking — Brain Tricks

Below is a clever and enjoyable video from AsapScience, about how the brain works in relation to systems the author dubs, “Fast Thinking” and “Slow Thinking.” You might think about these as instinctive vs. conscious thought.

As you watch the video and engage in the exercises, you will probably see implications for teaching and learning. We wonder, how often we do plan lessons assuming we’ll engage students’ “slow thinking” brain, but inadvertently engage the “fast thinking” brain? Or when might we fail to consider how one activity may in fact “blind” students to subtle variables that are in fact very important?

2 thoughts on “Fast vs. Slow Thinking — Brain Tricks”

The 3rd grade students in my class are “preparing” for the MCA, standards test assessment for Mn. Smart kids–but, low, low scorers on the test. There is so much I see about fast thinking and priming in them–the test is worded to take kids down that lane. On the other hand these kids depend on fast thinking–I am going to show them, and see what they think.